Strength of schedule considerations are difficult to accurately measure, but they come down to one core point: It is beneficial when Notre Dame’s opponents win their other games. They did that this weekend with just one genuine exception, and that was arguably the most-entertaining game of the bunch.

Michigan (0-1): The Wolverines lost. That is well-known by now. They gained a nothing-to-write-home-about 307 total yards, but a large portion of that came when the game was already somewhat decided. Whether that inadequate production was caused by the Irish defense or was merely the tangible effect of an inept offense is an unanswerable debate as long as there is only the one data point.

Fortunately, Western Michigan visits Ann Arbor at 12 p.m. ET (FS1). The Broncos gave up 560 yards and 55 points last week. Most of that damage came on the ground. Even though favored by 27.5 points, Michigan should not be expected to match those totals. Simply exceeding the numbers seen at Notre Dame would speak well of the Irish defense. A combined point total over/under of 51.5 indicates the Wolverines should win 39-13.

Ball St. (1-0): It is a fool’s errand to take too much away from the stats posted during a 42-6 win over FCS-level Central Connecticut State, but it is still impressive to see the Cardinals both rushed and passed for more than 300 yards.

A 33.5-point underdog, Ball State may not reach 300 yards with its total offense at Notre Dame (3:30 ET; NBC). The over/under of 61.5 points sets up for a 47-14 Irish victory.

Vanderbilt (1-0): The Commodores were favored by just a field goal against Middle Tennessee State. They won by 35-7. Little statistically stood out, gaining 346 yards and averaging 4.6 yards per rush are middling numbers, but Vanderbilt scored at least one touchdown in each quarter and controlled the game throughout.

Remembering that original spread, it may feel like an over-correction to see the Commodores now as 10-point favorites against Nevada (12 p.m. ET; SEC Network), but the Wolfpack is nothing but a below-average Mountain West team. Vanderbilt may not score enough to reach the over/under of 61.5, but the Commodores also may not give up enough for Nevada to help that cause, either. Simply put, 31-21 feels too high scoring.

Wake Forest freshman quarterback Sam Hartman’s debut was solid enough to throw further doubt on junior Kendall Hinton reclaiming the role when he returns from a three-game suspension. (AP Photo/Veronica Dominach)

Wake Forest (1-0): On one hand the Demon Deacons needed overtime to survive a trip to Tulane, 23-17. On the other hand, Wake Forest freshman quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns on 31-of-51 passing while adding 64 yards on 13 rushes. His debut should be considered nothing less than a success.

Stanford (1-0): The Cardinal got revenge for an early-season loss a year ago by topping San Diego State 31-10, but the attention focused on Bryce Love’s ineffectiveness. The Heisman hopeful took 18 carries for … 29 yards. Yet, Stanford cruised, with much of the credit landing at the feet of receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who caught six passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cardinal will look to serve another dish cold with USC’s arrival (8:30 p.m.; Fox). The home-field advantage gives Stanford a 3.5-point edge with an over/under of 54 hinting at a 28-25 conclusion.

Virginia Tech (1-0): Sometimes you get one so right it was actually wrong. Some, including this space, may have expected the Hokies defense to be better than given credit for. (“Underestimating defensive coordinator Bud Foster to the tune of 32 points feels a bit risky.”) No one anticipated Virginia Tech crushing Florida State in front of a Seminoles crowd, 24-3. The win, combined with Miami’s debacle at LSU, establishes the Hokies as an ACC title game contender.

Those hopes will not be endangered this weekend with a visit from William & Mary (2 ET; ACC Network).

Pittsburgh (1-0): Panthers fans may be feeling a bit confident after they cruised past Albany, 33-7, and watched Penn State struggle to slip past Appalachian State. That overlooks two facts: Pittsburgh’s win was not as utterly-lopsided as that score may indicate, boosted by a touchdown return on the opening kickoff and lacking any second-half points. And the Mountaineers are a tough FBS-level team at this point, consistently favored to win the Sun Belt. They are no longer an FCS shocker a la 2007.

That Pennsylvania pride should come crashing down to earth Saturday (8 ET; ABC). Do not be surprised to see the Nittany Lions cover the 8.5-point edge easily. If the game approaches the over/under of 58, it will not be in line with a 33-24 final, but rather Penn State will approach or break 40.

Navy (0-1): As expected, flying halfway across an ocean to face a team already with a game under its belt bode poorly for the Midshipmen, losing 59-41 at Hawaii. They gave up an uncharacteristic 522 yards, largely spurred by the Warriors’ passing game. Hawaii averaged 10.4 yards per attempt while gaining 436 through the air.

Memphis likes to pass, too, finishing 2017 averaging 335 yards through the air per game, seventh in the country. While trouncing Mercer last week, the Tigers threw for 428. They look likely to beat Navy by more than the expected 4.5 points, though the game should also top the over/under of 71 (3:30 ET; CBSSN).

Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson did not play all of the Wildcats’ season opener. Until he does, questions and concerns about his ACL will linger. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Northwestern (1-0): Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald created more questions than he did provide answers when he rotated senior quarterback Clayton Thorson with junior T. J. Green in Thursday’s 31-27 victory at Purdue. Fitzgerald said Thorson was not on a pitch count, but perhaps a series count. Either way, the offense struggled with Green, keeping the Boilermakers around longer than necessary.

More than how Northwestern fares against Duke (12 p.m. ET; ESPNU), despite being favored by three with an over/under of 48.5 making a 26-23 final logical, it will be more worthwhile to note how much Thorson does — or, more precisely, does not — play.

Florida State (0-1): The Seminoles looked every part the 7-6 team they were last year, returned quarterback and new coaching staff notwithstanding, as Virginia Tech rolled to that 24-3 victory. It should not be a concern this week, though, with a visit from FCS-level Samford (7:20 ET; ACC Network).

Syracuse (1-0): The Orange opened the season on the road at a tough Group of Five opponent and had little trouble beating Western Michigan, 55-42. Syracuse jumped out to a 34-7 halftime lead, at which point head coach Dino Babers sat senior quarterback Eric Dungey. As the Broncos mounted a comeback, Babers waited to return to Dungey to, as he put it afterward, test his team’s response to adversity.

It was good enough, but perhaps not by as much as it should have been. That will not be tested again this weekend with a visit from Wagner (3:30 ET; ACC Network).

USC (1-0): Heralded-freshman quarterback J.T. Daniels did not throw his first touchdown pass until the fourth quarter against UNLV, but at that point the Trojans still needed it, leading only 19-14 before Daniels connected with freshman receiver and high school teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown. Daniels finished with 282 yards on 22-of-35 passing with St. Brown catching seven of those for 98 yards, both team-highs.

The trip to Stanford should test both, certainly more than the Rebels did, despite their best efforts to keep it close through three quarters. A 43-21 final does not exactly sound like USC squeaked by.

12 p.m. ET Saturday: Western Michigan at Michigan on FS1; Nevada at Vanderbilt on SECN; Towson at Wake Forest on ACCN; Duke at Northwestern on ESPNU.2 p.m. ET: William & Mary at Virginia Tech on ACCN.3:30 ET: Ball State at Notre Dame on NBC; Memphis at Navy on CBSSN; Wagner at Syracuse on ACCN.7:20 ET: Samford at Florida State on ACCN.8 ET: Penn State at Pittsburgh on ABC.8:30 ET: USC at Stanford on Fox.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.